At the class reunion, Jesmira Zamora, my roommate, asked if I wanted to play the "Of course" game.

Her voice was playful, but her words were anything but. She said my family would go bankrupt in three months. That they would all die. That I would get heart disease and be expelled from school.

I felt the blood drain from my face. But still, I said, “Of course,” swallowing my pride as my classmates laughed around me.

I never imagined that three months later, every one of her twisted predictions would come true.

My father’s company collapsed overnight, losing over ten million and sinking into massive debt. My mother, unable to bear it, jumped from a building.

My sister, who saw her fall, locked herself in the bathroom and slit her wrists that same night.

To help repay my father’s debts, I began working at a bar, entertaining guests.

I was drugged, then a hospital visit revealed multiple heart conditions. I kept working, scraping together tips, desperate to ease my father’s burden—only to find he had hanged himself, too.

That was when I realized none of this was coincidence.

It all led back to Jesmira. When I tried to confront her, she pushed me into traffic and told everyone I had taken my own life because I couldn’t stand the shame.

But I opened my eyes again, back on the day of the class reunion.

Jesmira turned to me and smiled. “Jenna, do you want to play a game with me?”

I nodded. “Yes. Of course.”

——

Jesmira clapped her hands. “Then let’s play ‘Of course’!”

I acted like I’d never heard of the game and Jesmira explained, “No matter what I say, you have to respond with ‘Of course.’”

“Alright.” I nodded again.

She was about to start when I suddenly cut in, “Wait. How about a twist? Do you dare to play it both ways, three sentences each?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Jesmira’s face. I knew exactly what she was afraid of.

In my previous life, it was this very game that ruined me. Because I said “Of course” to her, I lost everything; my family, my future.

Seeing her hesitate, I mocked her, mimicking the voices of our classmates from back then. “What’s wrong, Jesmira? It’s just a game. Scared to play? Or maybe you know there’s more to this game than meets the eye?”

My words triggered the crowd.

“Come on, Jesmira. Aren’t we supposed to be having fun?”

“Yeah, it’s just a game. Don’t tell me you can’t handle a few words?”

“Wow, she’s actually scared.”

The taunts worked. Jesmira straightened up, a glint of defiance in her eyes. “What’s there to be afraid of? Let’s play!”

The game began. Jesmira stared at me, her gaze sharp and venomous. She spoke quickly, her words landing like poison just like last time.

“In less than three months, your father’s company will go bankrupt.

“Your whole family will die, your mom will jump off a building and your sister will slit her wrists.

“And you’ll be diagnosed with heart disease, expelled from school and your body will rot until you die!”

She rattled it all off in one breath, unhinged, like a madwoman.

Hearing those prophetic curses again, I clenched my fists, my nails nearly digging into my palms. The classmates nearby looked stunned.

"Jesmira, that was way too much!"

"Yeah, anyone would think you and Jenna had some deep grudge or something."

Jesmira ignored their comments and locked eyes with me. “Jenna, say something!”

I was trembling with anger, but to keep her from sensing anything unusual, I gritted my teeth and forced out the words, “Of course.”

Jesmira smiled triumphantly, then added a fake compliment. “Wow, Jenna. I’m impressed. You actually agreed to something that horrifying. Aren’t you scared I might use some spiritual power to make it all come true?”

Facing her provocation, I swallowed the fury burning in my chest and forced myself to stay calm.

I sneered. “Are you done? If you are, then it’s my turn.”

Jesmira looked slightly taken aback. Most people would’ve exploded at hearing such venomous words, but I had managed to keep my cool.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Jesmira cut in. “I haven’t even finished my third line yet! I’ve still got more.”

My eyes narrowed. That definitely hadn’t happened in my previous life.

Right then, my boyfriend, Tobias Zhilan, walked over and casually joined us.

He sat down beside me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and asked with a smile, “What are you guys playing? You both look so serious.”

Jesmira glanced at Tobias and said immediately, “Jenna, your boyfriend will cheat on you in seven days… with your best friend.”

Tobias’s eyes widened in shock, clearly ready to fire back, but I beat him to it. “Of course,” I replied flatly.

Tobias turned to me, visibly upset. “Jenna, what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t you trust me? We’ve been together for years and now you—”

I took his hand and gave it a reassuring pat. “Relax. It’s just a game. No matter what Jesmira says, I can only answer with ‘Of course.’”

Tobias let out a breath of relief. “Oh, I see. For a second, I thought she just couldn’t stand seeing us happy.”

The three of us shared a fake laugh and on the surface, everything seemed light and pleasant.

But deep down, I knew the truth; Jesmira really couldn’t stand me.

I had gone viral on the school forums on my very first day of college, all because of a random photo someone else took.

They hailed me as the innocent campus beauty, even made me the face of the school.

It didn’t take long before the media came calling and when they did, they discovered I wasn’t just beautiful. I was also the daughter of a powerful man.

My father was a respected entrepreneur who ran a major company and donated generously all year round. People looked up to him and by extension, to me.

Jealousy naturally followed. Most girls at school envied me, except Jesmira.

On the surface, she was all smiles, but beneath that, she was ruthless. Wanting the campus beauty title for herself, she flooded the freshman group chat with heavily edited photos.

She praised me while secretly fishing for compliments.

When that didn’t get the attention she wanted, she staged a fake mishap; accidentally posting a photo of her legs.

She was supposed to be the center of attention when she arrived. But I stole that spotlight.

And she never forgave me for it. This little game was just another one of her traps.

“Okay, you've said your piece. My turn now.” I said, my voice light, but my hands were already warming up with anticipation. Jesmira’s expression darkened.

Before she could object, I cut in. “Jesmira, if your curse really works, may everything you just said rebound right back onto you.”

Her face drained of color. She didn’t say another word.

And in that silence, my suspicion hardened. Everything that happened before… it all started with her.

I raised my voice just enough for everyone to hear. “You cursed my family with death and bankruptcy and now that I hit back, you're backing down? Jesmira, isn’t that a little weak? Come on, everyone, tell me, is this fair?”

People quickly rallied behind me.

“Yeah, Jesmira, it’s just a game. Why so sensitive?”

“You came at Jenna first. Don’t act like you can dish it out but can’t take it.”

Jesmira forced a stiff smile. “Of course.”

I didn’t miss a beat. “Great. Then how about you repeat exactly what I just said?”

"Of course," she said.

I smiled. "Great. Go ahead and repeat it, then."

Jesmira clearly hadn’t expected to be cornered. Her expression faltered before she finally echoed my words, "If my curse on you works, everything will come back to bite me."

Hearing her repeat it word for word, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

In my previous life, I hadn’t understood it, but after death, I realized the power of words might truly hold weight.

So I had to make Jesmira speak words that would turn against her. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but at least I had to try.

When I got home, I rushed straight into my dad’s study, holding up a photo of a man. “Dad, cancel all cooperation with Mr. Zellner right now. No matter the cost.”

He glanced at the photo and looked stunned. “Jenna, how did you know I was working with Mr. Zellner? I haven’t told a soul about this.”

“Forget how I know,” I said firmly. “Just listen to me. This is important.”

That man had been the beginning of our downfall in my past life.

He ran a shell company that lured my father into a fake partnership. Once exposed, he vanished, leaving my family with over ten million dollars in penalties.

Seeing the hesitation in my father’s eyes, I pulled out the evidence I had collected. “Dad, I got all this from the Department of Commerce and the Tax Office. You don’t have to trust me, but at least trust the government, right?”

After reading it, my dad frowned, his expression growing serious. "What a con man. Alright, Jenna, I trust you."

He immediately picked up the phone and called his secretary. "Run a full background check on Mr. Zellner’s company. I think we’ve been set up. Put the contract on hold for now."

Watching my dad take swift action lifted a huge weight off my chest. I threw my arms around him and said earnestly, “Dad, please trust me. This could decide our entire family’s future.”

The following night, my dad called with an update. His team had confirmed that the man was indeed a fraud.

He had canceled all negotiations with anyone connected to Zellner.

After hanging up, I was flooded with emotion. In this lifetime, I had finally changed the course of that crucial moment.

Noticing my joy, my mom smiled and teased, “Why are you so happy? Did someone send you flowers?”

I blinked, confused. “Flowers? What flowers?”

She chuckled. “I went to order some today and saw your boyfriend Tobias doing the same. Valentine’s Day is next week, so I figured he’s getting something special for you.”

My mom looked so pleased, but my heart sank. Because in my past life… Tobias never gave me flowers on Valentine’s Day.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesmira’s curse. “Your boyfriend will cheat on you in seven days… with your best friend.”

Still shaken, I immediately contacted my best friend, Xylia Skelton.

Finding out that she was still abroad and wouldn’t be back for another month helped me breathe a little easier.

The flowers weren’t for Xylia, she wouldn’t even be around to receive them. Even so, I spent the next six days on edge.

Then, early on the seventh morning, Tobias sent me a Happy Valentine’s Day message. He said my gift would be arriving soon and asked me to go pick it up.

But when the delivery boy handed it to me, a chill ran down my spine. I stared at the package, then looked at Tobias. “Why chocolate?” I asked.

He smiled. “Isn’t Valentine’s Day all about chocolate? What? Don’t you like it?”